Carol of the Bells
by Saturns Darkness
Summary: All they hear before all goes permanently dark is a haunting tune, played upon the ringing of bells, in a hauntingly familiar tune…Saturn gives a gift to all, on the Eve of the 25th. Pleae R&R, happy holidays.


_Ideally, I would post this at 11:59, in order for it to happen exactly on the 25th. But, as Ff so perfectly says 'up to 24 hours' I really do not know…any one who has control of when their stories are visible, I'd welcome info…anyways...this is a holiday fic. So go, shoo, read it, and please review of what I ultimately do (not) own. I'll have those happy holiday things at the end. (Oh...it helps to hum part of the title for the singing dialogue Key: L-lower, H- higher and h-hold it out)_

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_**Carol of the bells**_

There are different dreams, of how one's death is decided. Some believe that they alone choose their way of passing, be it overeating, suicide, or of their own time passing them up, and leaving them behind. Other's pray to a higher power for salvation, and in their hopeful dreams and attempts at life, gives one's life completely to that higher power. And some…choose the bells. They do not choose the bells, nor know of such items. All they hear before all goes permanently dark is a haunting tune, played upon the ringing of bells, in a hauntingly familiar tune….

"Da, dada Daa, da dada daa, da dada daa…"

"Hmm, (L) hmm, (L) hmm, (L) hmm, (H) hmm, (L) hmm, (L) hmm, (L/h) hmm..."

It was so few that realized that there was harmony behind the first line, that there was a partner in the taking of their souls.

"This one is beginning to ring slower…"

Each soul had a bell of their own, with a unique pitch. If picked up, the bell rang in beats, the progress one's life was going. Slow meant that the final bell had to be rung.

"The final bell has not been rung tonight until now."

The final bell was a beautiful nightmare. It was delicate black steel with runes of times gone by carved into its haunting picturesque appearance, with sensitivity to who's hand was on it's handle…to the wrong hand, it would take their bell to soon…

"The slow bell has ceased. Ring his passing."

The wielder did a nod that only The Grim Reaper could, and rang the bell once. It rang itself, for an agonizing long phrase; in a song that could not be called a song…it was a lament of death.

"He willed himself to die."

"Very few want to die on Christmas Eve. He is a rarity."

There walls upon walls, upon rooms with bells on them…and only one wanted to die tonight. Only the wretched wanted to die on this night.

On a distant plane of the bells, a sorrowful bell began to ring. The grim reaper and the watcher did not even glance at each other before they appeared together in front of a most silent locked case of bells.

It was covered in Ice, and weeping in time to its rings. A smaller, darker icy in a shelf beneath it was deathly still, contrary to the quiet stirrings of the other immortal bells.

"We need your key."

The heart of the staff was taken off by the watcher, and placed on top of the crystal case. With a shuddering tremor that shook all bells and guardians alike, it split open for the second time within several millenniums. The watcher reached in, and picked up the icy bell. In a trance like voice, she repeated what the bell told her.

"_She was crying, and feeling helpless. She could do nothing. The legendary healer could not heal one she cared about most. He was going to die."_

The grim reaper reached in for the smaller bell. It resisted her touch until a calm wave of indigo pushed itself over the dark blue bell. She did not need to voice it, the bell presented its own pain.

_I can't breath…She is crying over me…and neither can fight this…for a few moments, I would give…my remaining….life…_

The grim reaper slowly pulled her hand off of the bell, as the watcher did the same.

"The tremor we felt earlier…"

"…was the beginning of the death of two stars."

The largest bell of white light began to tremor from above both shelves of bells began to ring in long solid tones. The 9 unrung bells began to ring. In a wave it happened, the most dramatic was the only solid black light in the deepest of any tones. In the distant, all of the bells began a slow ring, as if to begin a funeral procession of sound.

"Serenity is trying to bring him back. Will you let this happen, Saturn?" Saturn looked at the weeping bell of Mercury, and the dying bell of Zoisite.

"'Should one die, all will fall'…"

Pluto watched her partner in fate contemplate the most pressurized decision in her partner's immortal life.

Saturn did not say anything for a moment. She reached out with her gloved indigo hand to her bell…and hesitated. Her purple eyes settled on Serenity's bell, and agonizingly slow even to the Guardian of Time; her gloved hand matched her eyes. She rang it once.

Simultaneously, all the bells ceased, and settled. Mercury stopped weeping, and Zoisite began living again. The cycle of life and death had to be fulfilled however. Neutral eyes took in the blackest bell of the souls barely become just a little less corporal.

Saturn buckled, and let Pluto catch her before she hit the metaphysical floor. "No more will die tonight." Pluto stroked the indigo hair as she did when death was still a mortal child, and felt her fall into a rare sleep.

"The world rests easier now, Hotaru. They felt your holiday wish. Now sleep…all we have is time, and can cease for a short while. We will begin again when you wake up. You deserve at least that, for your Christmas blessing in return."

Natural darkness descended on the bells, the grim reaper, and the watcher then, with the final scene of Pluto kissing the top of Saturn's forehead.

From the darkness, a final thing was heard before the bells of Christmas rang out…

"He lives Serenity…Zoisite lives! Saturn gave us indeed, a Christmas blessing."

"Yes, Ami…my daughter did give us a blessing…"

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_So….like? Hate? And happy holidays to all…I would have tried to use 'holidays' instead of 'Christmas' in this, for everyone's appreciation, but Christmas sounds better…religion aside, it seems that friends, family and that remote emotion kind of like 'love' is what makes a holiday, no? There also tends to be a thread of 'niceness' as well with goodwill towards men and all those lovely holiday deals. So…happy chrihaniwanzasolstice to everyone. (Reviews make nice holiday gifts as well, hint hint)_

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**__**Holiday blessings to all, and to all, a good night, from Saturn's darkness**_


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